BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE TECHNICIAN Job

Vacancy No. CERH245770721423HW Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $36,209.00 to $44,117.00 Grade 4 to 6
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/23/2024 Close Date 3/24/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Bismarck, NDJamestown, NDRiverdale, NDWilliston, ND


Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

About the Position: The Summer Hire program is from May thru August 2025, will need to be available to start by May 26, 2025. Management may fill multiple vacancies at each location.

Applicants applying for Yankton, SD will have their duty station set as St. Helena, NE.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

Duties

  • Work on the Missouri River monitoring Federally listed threatened shorebirds (piping plovers) during their breeding season from May through August.
  • Field work includes locating nests, tracking nest status, assigning nest fate, and observing hatched chicks until fledging on sandbar and reservoir shoreline habitat in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
  • Obtain sufficient information to prepare biological data reports, species accounts or related assessments.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain a state issued driver’s license.
  • Incumbent is required to work varying schedules, weekends, and/or holiday work.
  • This position may require you to wear a prescribed uniform while in a duty status.
  • Incumbent may be required to obtain a US Army Corps of Engineers Motorboat Operator’s License upon employment.
  • This position may require the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination.
  • Incumbent may be required to possess or be able to obtain and maintain first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  • The incumbent spends considerable time outdoors, where the incumbent may encounter variable weather conditions and exposure to insects.
  • Field work may require long periods of walking over sandy or rough terrain.

Qualifications

***This is an open continuous announcement. First cutoff will occur two weeks after the open date. Applications after first cutoff will receive consideration as future vacancies occur. ***

Position may be filled as a temporary appointment NTE 6 months. A current permanent Army employee is not eligible for return placement under a new appointment.

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

General and/or Specialized Experience for GS-04: Six months of general experience (1) in any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with collecting, preparing and assembling basic data AND six months of specialized experience which includes assisting in research activities or field investigations related to the biological sciences. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-03).

OR

Education: Two years of education above the high school level which includes 12 semester hours in courses related to the work of the position in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours must be directly related to this position. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application for verification. NOTE: Two (2) years of education is defined as 60-89 semester hours or 90-134 quarter hours.ORCombination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 60. Add the two percentages.

Specialized Experience for GS-05: One year of specialized experience which includes applying principles and techniques of biological data surveying, biological collection, and field identification of animal species. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).

OR

Education: Four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours must be directly related to this position; OR-Combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience. NOTE: Four (4) years of education is defined as 120 or more semester hours or 180 or more quarter hours.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond two years (total semester hours minus 60) by 60. Add the two percentages.

Specialized Experience for GS-06: One year of specialized experience which includes monitoring different biological species in the wild and preparing data reports on findings. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

OR

Education: A half year (i.e., 9 semester hours) of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 9. Add the two percentages.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is an Engineers and Scientists (Non-Construction) Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • Management may select at any grade level announced.
  • This position is a temporary position and may be extended up to a maximum total of three years.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/24/2025 to receive consideration

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12651423).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RH-W2SJ07 USARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-OMAHA
DO NOT MAIL
Omaha, NE 68102
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking (as applicable) for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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